Underground cave and production drilling has seen the advent of some of the same Space Age and Industry 4.0 technological innovations that are revolutionizing other mining technologies and equipment. With the right communications infrastructure, a miner can leverage these innovations to improve mine safety, increase productivity, streamline operations and nix costs.

In 2016, Atlas Copco, also now known as Epiroc, released the Simba S7, a hydraulic long hole drill rig with remote-control capabilities for narrow vein miners. The company described it as a “versatile rig” that enables “increased automation” and is “built for small spaces and tough drilling conditions.”